SC asks Delhi HC to take up petitions against Centre’s nod to ‘Udaipur Files’

The Supreme Court on Friday asked Delhi High Court to take up on July 28 petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to clear ‘Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder’—a film based on tailor Kanhaiya Lal’s murder in Udaipur, Rajasthan in 2022 – with six cuts and modifications in the disclaimer.

A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the filmmakers’ appeal against the Delhi High Court order staying the film’s release has become infructuous as they have accepted the Centre’s order clearing the release.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani and Kanhaiya Lal Mohd Javed said they would file fresh petitions against the Centre’s decision.

Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the Bench said the high court can take a call on extending or vacating the stay on release of the film.

Produced by Amit Jani, ‘Udaipur Files’ has been directed by Bharat S. Shrinate. The cast of the film included actos Vijay Raaz, Rajneesh Duggal, Preeti Jhangiani, Kamlesh Sawant, Kanchi Singh and Mushtaq Khan. It was due to be released on July 11.

However, the Delhi High Court on July 10 stayed the release of the film until the Central Government decided on the revision application filed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind against the certificate granted to the film by the CBFC. The producers challenged the stay order before the top court. However, on Friday, they said they have accepted the Centre’s decision to clear the film with six cuts.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Menaka Guruswamy, representing Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind and accused Javed respectively, opposed the conditional clearance given to the film and said the stay should continue.

On behalf of the film producers, senior counsel Gaurav Bhatia opposed further continuation of stay on the film’s release, saying they have already lost 12 days and the Government has already cleared it with certain cuts.

“12 days…it’s no loss… More publicity, the better it is for the movie,” Justice Kant told Bhatia.

The cuts included a more detailed disclaimer clarifying that the film was an artistic work and that it did not endorse violence or defamation of any community, revision of an AI-generated scene depicting a Saudi-Arabia style turban and removal of an exchange between characters Hafiz and Maqbool.

Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered in June 2022 in Udaipur, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous who later released a video claiming that the murder was in reaction to the victim allegedly sharing a social media post in support of former BJP leader Nupur Sharma following her controversial comments on Prophet Mohammed.

The accused were booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act provisions under the Indian Penal Code by the National Investigation Agency and the trial is underway before a special court in Jaipur.